I think Martin might be one of those people if they are experiencing social issues, work issues, financial issues or even family issues, this hobby might be the only outlet for him to immerse himself into, and all of life's problems will for time being, simply disappear. But much like everything, it's only a temporary. After the weekend cons, he's back at the 9 to 5, Monday to Friday grind, and still have the same problems staring at him in the face.
And Woodmo said it best, his passing was preventable, if only Martin admitted to all the personal demons that pursued him and simply reached out to his friends, colleagues or health professions for help and guidance. And now his death has left us all wondering the "what ifs"...

Hence my original statement that some people take this hobby way too seriously. Stop and prioritize what is really important in this lifetime, as you really only get one.

Internet or not personally I don't think retail is going anywhere. It may not be what it was 10 years ago, further evidenced by the fact that so many have closed, but a select few will always exist and continue to be profitable. Multiple Walmart and Target stores for instance exist 10-20 minutes apart and continue to be profitable. Grocery stores will never be replaced cause if someone is hungry they are not going online to order food they will just drive.

Back to Martin, to him conventions were basically his world. His reason to be. It's as I've said before this means more to some than to others. If Martin quit or got fired, his reason to be is gone as he can't afford to go to cons and pay his mortgage. Could he have found a job? Maybe but it would not have been what they were paying him after two decades of working at Safeway. Zero chance he would be able to afford both cons and a mortgage. Not saying what he did was sensible just trying to explain what may have drove him to do this.

To add another thing, I never thought the day would come where I'd see free Wizard World photo op tickets in my email and it would be such a punch in face. Truly evidence that anything in life is possible.

Last edited by class316 on May 3rd, 2017, 4:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My thoughts go out to his family.
There is so much more than photos and autos from celebrities.
Mental health is incredibly important and often something that people don't want to talk about.
I hope this is a wake up call to many of you to put your life into perspective.
Get that better job, socialize with people more ( outside of seeing you " friends" at con's) save your money for a house, start a family. It's almost like people in this hobby are in quicksand and don't move forward.

I had to go through this last year when my cousin also took his own life. Life should never become so complicated, so overwhelming or difficult to bear where your only option is to end it! If you are ever experiencing a personal crisis, just simply stop, slow down and catch your breath and think things through and put everything in perspective. Talk to your family, your friends, somebody who might be able to help you through the trying times. The more I think about this situation, the more it saddens me that Martin felt he had no other options. I guess when someone is overcome with stress and depression, rational thoughts goes right out the window. It really is a shame...

All I am gonna say on this subject, is my heart goes out to his family and friends who lost someone they cared about. Suicide is more of a tragedy for those who are left behind. I am saddened Class, Joretsky and his family's loss.

I did not know Martin but to Class, Jor and Martin's family, my thoughts and prayers are with you and I'm truly sorry for your loss.

Class, if I could offer a suggestion in regards to the photo ops- find a really good photo of Martin and have it printed out at about 11x17 or a bit bigger and have you and the celeb hold it, then, get an extra printed off and gift them to his family. Not only would this be an excellent tribute to your friend but it would be-if you'll pardon the pun-a very classy move.

I did not know Martin but to Class, Jor and Martin's family, my thoughts and prayers are with you and I'm truly sorry for your loss.

Class, if I could offer a suggestion in regards to the photo ops- find a really good photo of Martin and have it printed out at about 11x17 or a bit bigger and have you and the celeb hold it, then, get an extra printed off and gift them to his family. Not only would this be an excellent tribute to your friend but it would be-if you'll pardon the pun-a very classy move.

Very interesting suggestion, and a very nice tribute to boot. But, there is NO way Steve will go for this, as he won't be able to crop out Martin's image from the photo op. Had he originally split the photo op with Martin, he would've been able to crop Martin out for his own collection, whereas, now he gets solo (FREE paid) shots with Sheen and Simmons all to himself, so, by including a photo of Martin in it, it simply won't work in his favor. Remember, this is supposed to benefit "his needs".

But I like where you were going with this, Gumby! Don't expect Steve to follow through on it!

My thoughts go out to his family.
There is so much more than photos and autos from celebrities.
Mental health is incredibly important and often something that people don't want to talk about.
I hope this is a wake up call to many of you to put your life into perspective.
Get that better job, socialize with people more ( outside of seeing you " friends" at con's) save your money for a house, start a family. It's almost like people in this hobby are in quicksand and don't move forward.

The house and/or family is a problem for some people though.

Requires quite a bit of

Quicksand analogy is yet another good analogy though. And it's true Martin's mental health was not up there. He would have huge outbursts over the most trivial things, which I'm guessing played into his job troubles.

I did not know Martin but to Class, Jor and Martin's family, my thoughts and prayers are with you and I'm truly sorry for your loss.

Class, if I could offer a suggestion in regards to the photo ops- find a really good photo of Martin and have it printed out at about 11x17 or a bit bigger and have you and the celeb hold it, then, get an extra printed off and gift them to his family. Not only would this be an excellent tribute to your friend but it would be-if you'll pardon the pun-a very classy move.

Very interesting suggestion, and a very nice tribute to boot. But, there is NO way Steve will go for this, as he won't be able to crop out Martin's image from the photo op. Had he originally split the photo op with Martin, he would've been able to crop Martin out for his own collection, whereas, now he gets solo (FREE paid) shots with Sheen and Simmons all to himself, so, by including a photo of Martin in it, it simply won't work in his favor. Remember, this is supposed to benefit "his needs".

But I like where you were going with this, Gumby! Don't expect Steve to follow through on it!

Agree on this.. Steve/Class only looks out for #1.. all Steve has been able to do for the last couple days is bug me about celebs when i'm trying to grieve

I'm sorry on the loss of your friend bud. I think you're a good dude. I think you're geniune. I hope you use this as kind of a wake up call for you. Quit surrounding yourself with people who will slit your throat for ''photo ops'' Keep doing it for the passion, keep doing it for the fun of it. Not cause you need too. Cut out all the bullshit. You could honor your friend that way. The experiences trump the possessions.

I didn't know him personally but would see his photo ops on various facebook pages. Always enjoyed checking them out.
It's crazy to think that he just was at the Chiller show (I saw his op with Perfect Strangers) and just a few days later...
I wonder what must have been going through his mind in those last few days. Did he have anything planned or was it spur of the moment? And if planned what must he been thinking during the convention? One last fun day of photo ops?

Does any one what exactly he did?
Sorry if it offends, I'm just slightly curious.

I saw something posted on facebook by someone name "Kris" who may be a celebrity but I've never heard of him. He posted that with how much money Martin spent and how many celebrities he met, he should be working in the entertainment field. I'm thinking the same could be said for a lot of you guys! Maybe meeting multiple celebs is more enjoyable than, say, working with one or two but seriously, you guys should be working in this field you devote so much time to. The Kris post was such a touching tribute.